Ebb and Flow
by amy1oM-InnitMarvelous
Summary: A missing sorta AU scene for AGE OF ULTRON that explains where Pepper really was. Two shot.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is slightly AU as it assumes that there was a little time between the Avengers all trying to pick up Thor's hammer and Ultron crashing their party

* * *

"You were going to re institute _prima nocta_? Seriously?" Rhodey said as he joined Tony out on the terrace. In the moments after they had all spectacularly failed to lift Thor's hammer, the Avengers had all broken off into smaller groups/pairing to talk about whatever topics they were discussing now. Rhodey had almost joined whatever conversation Rogers was having with Maria Hill when he saw Tony slip outside with a drink in his hand. He hadn't really liked the look on his friend's face and so excused himself to follow.

"It was a joke, platypus," Tony said with a shrug, keeping his eyes on the city landscape below. "Don't get your boxers all up in a bunch!"

Rhodey rolled his eyes, "Yeah, genius, I got that it was a joke but it was of the variety that I haven't heard from you in a long time."

"What variety? Bad? Lame? Oh please, I know it's been awhile since we've hang out

together but I still make both all of the time. Just ask anyone inside."

"No, that's not the variety I meant although it was a pretty lame joke to make, come to

think of it." When Tony shot him a look, he cleared his throat, and said, "Uh right, and

you know what I meant."

"Uh, no I don't."

"Are you really going to make me say it?"

Tony's silence was his answer.

"Apparently, you are. Okay then, I'll say it: the prima nocta joke, is the exact same kind of thing you would have said before you and Pepper started being serious about each

other." A realization dawned on Rhodey almost at the same time the words left his

mouth. "Wait, are you and Pepper having problems?" He didn't really expect an

immediate answer, if he even got one, and his friend didn't disappoint as several

minutes of silence passed before Tony finally spoke.

"Pepper decided that she wanted some time… apart, and that's why she's officially

away on the other side of the world, on company business right now. Unofficially, she's away because she wasn't exactly thrilled that I had made another suit. I mean while I didn't exactly do it behind her back, but I also didn't talk with her either before I started making it."

"How did she find out that's what you were doing?"

"The worst way possible which was by Rogers showing up one Saturday to ask me rejoin the Avengers and help with locating Loki's scepter."

Rhodey cringed, "Oh, man, Tony! Please tell me that is not how Pepper found out about the new suit!"

"Yeah, it kinda was because Pepper decides to bring him up to my workshop herself."

"What JARVIS didn't warn you that they were coming up?"

"Yeah, he warned me but Spangles decided to show up while I was trying to fix one the suit's gauntlets while I had it on my arm. Looking back on it, I suppose I could have hid my arm until Pepper left but it wouldn't have done any good since there were a number of tools and/or parts that she knows that I use for building suits scattered all over the room. How she didn't lose it in front of Rogers, I'll never know.

"So she lost it after he left?"

"No, she was actually as calm as she could be as she packed for a trip to South Korea she had not told me about until then. Worst part of the whole thing was seeing the hurt in her eyes. I think she was probably a little angry with me, for going behind her back, but hurt was the dominant feeling."

At the end of Tony's story about what happened Rhodey whistled, "Hmm, after hearing all that, I can't say I'm surprised by Pepper's reaction, Tony."

Tony sighed, "Yeah, neither am I now that I've had time to think back on it." He ran a hand over his goatee, "I've had time to think about it, and wonder if continuing to fight as Iron Man or being a part of the Avengers really worth losing her forever? She is the best thing that has ever and I mean _ever_ happened to me, but I went and screwed things up again for only the millionth time _since_ we started a serious relationship. What if she decides, hey this is it? What if she decides that she can't take any more of my… antics, and she decides to hit the road without ever looking back?"

"You know, Tony, I know I'm not Pepper," Rhodey began, pausing the allow for the inevitable sarcastic remark from Tony, and worried when it never came because he knew then how serious this was for his friend. "I know that I can't speak for her or read her mind, but I think she probably feels the same about you as you do her. When she decided to start a relationship with you, she knew what she was getting herself into, and if what happened with Killian didn't chase her off, I don't think that this is going to either. She probably just needs some time to herself to think things over, just like she said."

"I wish I could as optimistic about this as you seem to be."

"It's not optimism, Tony."

"Then what is it?"

"Realism."

"No, it _is_ optimism. Trust me, you didn't see her face when she told me she was going to South Korea for awhile. It's probably is over between us and she just hasn't figured out how to tell me yet."

Rhodey shook his head, "Oh man stop with the pessimism! You don't know that it's over until you tal k to her again, and I honestly don't think Pepper is going to end things with you."

"Yeah well you can go right on believing that, buddy," Tony said, giving his shoulder a pat before emptying the glass in his hand, "I need another drink." He started back inside.

"Tony, I-"

"So this is where you two went to!" Bruce said, poking his head outside.

"What? Do you and Romanoff want the terrace? Be my guest!" Tony said pushing past him.

Surprise and confusion were the reigning emotions on the scientist's face as Rhodey walked over to the door. "What did I say wrong?"

"It's not you, Dr. Banner. It's all him."


	2. Chapter 2

The very first moment that he could get away from the fallout of fighting Ultron, and the rest of the team, Tony called Pepper. When she picked up on the third ring, Tony suddenly found himself so overwhelmed with relief and no small amount of longing at hearing her voice again that he couldn't speak.

"Hello? Tony? Are you there? Hello?"

"I-"

"Tony?"

He swallowed, and willed the lump in his throat to go away, "Yeah, I'm here, Pep. It's so good to hear your voice again."

"You.. too."

He heard the hitch in her voice, and he knew she was close to crying. So he cleared his throat, and said as lightly as he could, "I know how long board meetings can be, so maybe you didn't hear about what happened."

"Tony…"

"Right, not the time, sorry."

"Did any of the others get hurt or k…" Pepper couldn't bring herself to finish the question. Of course the Battle of Sokovia was all over the news, and of course she had been watching it since the story had broke. None of the major networks were reporting any deaths among the Avengers but she had been around long enough to know that kind of information was withheld until they knew how to tell the public. So she really needed Tony to confirm what she already heard as being the truth.

"Everyone who was on the original team in New York made it out of the with only a few scrapes and bruises. The newbies weren't so fortunate… and he was just a kid too really."

"Oh Tony, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too. I didn't know him that well, but he deserved to walk away from that just like the rest of us did." _And probably a little more than I did_ , he thought but didn't say aloud.

There was a moment of decidedly uncomfortable silence between them, then Pepper said, "I need to go."

This was the first time in weeks that they had talked to each other in a way that didn't involve texting or messages relayed through JARVIS. It wasn't until the moment she was about to hang up that Tony realized just how much he never wanted to go so long without hearing her voice, much less not getting to see her, and so he blurted out, "Come home."

A beat of silence followed that, "Tony, I… I'm not sure if that's a good idea right now."

"Please, Pepper. I miss you so much right now, that it _hurts_! I need to see you. Please, come home."

"I…"

Tony sighed, "You know what? Forget that I asked. I know you said that you need some time to think things through. No matter how long it takes, I can wait for when you're ready because you are well worth the wait."

The hurt and disappointment were obvious in his voice but Pepper also he meant what he had said. He would wait for her to come home however long it took for her to be ready. Fortunately for him, although the government had been a very gracious host to her, she wasn't home and she had grown tired of being in South Korea.

"I'll be home in five days," she said quietly.

"What?"

"I said I'll be home in a week."

"You're really coming home?"

"Yes, I am."

"At the risk of sounding ungrateful and overly anxious here, could you make it two days instead of a week?"

Pepper couldn't help but smile, "No, it has to be a week."

"Why a week?"

"Because I have things I need to wrap up here, like oh saying goodbye to the government graciously enough that they'll be willing to continue to do business with us in the future."

"And that's going to take a whole week?"

Pepper rolled her eyes at his whining tone, "No, saying goodbye to the government is just one of the things I need to do. I've been working on other projects while I've been here you know, and they need to be wrapped up."

He groaned, "Always the busy beaver aren't you, Miss Potts?"

"You're one to talk, Mr. Stark," she retorted. "I'm not making any promises but I might could be home in five days instead of a week."

"Can you make you make it four?"

"No, five is the absolute best that I can do."

"I'll take it!"

Pepper aimed the phone away from her ear as she heard him yell triumphantly, only putting it back to when she heard him saying her name and hello. "I'm here, Tony, but just for a minute longer."

"Awww!"

"Hey, you're the one who wants me home in five days, and if I am going to get home by then, then I have a lot of work that needs to get done."

"I will let you get to it then."

"Okay, I'll see you in five days then."

"See you then," he agreed, "Hey, Pep?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," she said softly, and then she was gone.

Grinning like he hadn't since before Ultron, Tony put his phone aside, and turned to the nearest computer screen, "FRIDAY, open up project file BIG ORANGE."

"Right away, Boss," the female voice responded.

Thumbnail sized pictures of rings appeared on the screen, and Tony began sorting through them.

"You have your work to do, Miss Potts, and I have mine," he muttered, stopping on a ring. He enlarged the picture, "FRIDAY, you're a woman… kinda. Do you think that is the kind of ring Pepper would like?"

"I'm afraid that my knowledge of Miss Potts' taste in jewelry is limited since you have only recently brought my system online, Boss. However, I believe that Miss Potts would find that particular ring too ostentatious for her preferences."

Tony scratched his chin, "You're right, she would think this one is too much. She goes for things a little more simple and classy and less than I do."

"I believe that you are correct, Boss."

"Okay, so let's eliminate all the rings like this one," Tony said, and adjusted the search parameters. But even after the adjustments and a few hours later, he was still no closer to finding the perfect ring.

"Perhaps you should take a break, Boss," FRIDAY suggested.

"Maybe you're right," Tony agreed but didn't close anything down. "JARVIS, buddy, I wish you were still here to help me out with this." He manually saved everything and shut it down. "What would you tell me if you were?"

 _Simple, Sir. I would advise you to make the moment that you wed Miss Potts and give her your family name the big affair. An engagement ring is a promise of love and a future together, yes, but it is you who is important to her, Sir, not the size of the diamond in the ring._

"You're right, J. But I'm not giving her a ring with a small rock either."

 _I never dreamed that you would, Sir. However might I suggest a ring that will help to enhance the beauty of Miss Potts instead of attract the garish attention that she despises? Might I suggest that you present Miss Potts with something you've designed yourself?_

With those words, a light went off in Tony's head, "FRIDAY, open everything up again and get ready to place an order."

"Right with you, Boss. Where shall I put down for delivery?"


End file.
